ON TRIBUTE BANDS AND OTHER THINGS
In this edition of the Reader, your unwavering correspondent ponders the idea of dogs driving golf carts, muses on the historical significance of Aug. 9, opens the ol’ mailbag, and reflects on a life well-lived.
This week: a 4-minute read
STOP THAT DOG!
My wife and I spend much of our summers in the rural reaches of Beaver County, Alberta. The family retreat is in a lovely campground known locally as Buzzard Gulch, though there are no buzzards in evidence, nor are there any gulches. A more accurate moniker might be Mosquito Bluffs, or Gopher Grove, or Squirrel Haven. Well, I jest—except for the part about squirrels. They have the run of the campground and our poor dog Sarah exhausts herself in a futile pursuit to catch one. Still, she loves the place. There are only two sights that deeply disturb our girl: golf carts, and other dogs in golf carts.
Last week, Sarah spotted a golf cart and immediately went on high alert. Then she saw a Doberman-sized canine sitting astride the jalopy and came completely unhinged. She bolted out the door and chased the cart and its poor driver down the lane and around the bend before she could be coaxed back.
This was rather extreme behaviour for a dog that makes friends with every human she encounters, even small children. It makes me wonder how she’d react to a sight like this?
UM, NO. NO, THEY’RE NOT
“I saw this band last September in Ladner. I’ve never heard a better Eagles tribute band. These guys are the real deal.”
Facebook entry from a British Columbian. Must be a Canucks’ fan
VANCE ON TOAST
“We believe that a million cheap knockoff toasters aren’t worth the price of a single American manufacturing job.”
JD Vance, U.S. vice-presidential GOP candidate
Really? Have you checked out the prices on toasters at Canadian Tire? The cheapest is 35 bucks. Most are in the hundred-dollar range but you can spend up to $275, all to heat up a piece of bread.
‘DEAR TERRY’ LETTERS
Re the origins of my Journal column Telescope. Wow Terry, you must have had a very innovative and supportive editor. Murdoch Davis (Ed. Note: a very innovative and supportive editor), Valparaiso, Indiana
Re motorists in Sweden switching from left to right. Great little story, Terry. We’ve been in the UK several times, but we rented a car only once. It was a standard which also meant a lot of gear-shifting with the left hand that requires a whole new way of thinking. After that, we let our daughter and the trains do the driving. And a note about your novel, Lethbridge. I loved it, so everyone please read it. Diane Prodenchuk, Chatham, Ontario
Re subscribing to My Sunday Reader. Your writing is gold, Terry. I’m in. Keith Borkowsky, Brandon, Manitoba
Terry, I was there in the beginning of your career, 52 years ago at Mohawk College. I look forward to reading your Sunday Reader. Jim Slomka, Burlington, Ontario
All the best, Terry. I also remember the beginning of your career 50-plus years ago. Terry Small, Clermont, Florida
If you’d like to drop me a note (and risk me publishing it here), just reply to this email to send it to mysundayreader@gmail.com.
THIS WEEK'S SHAMELESS PLUG
This past Friday, Aug. 9, is historically significant for two reasons. In 1974, U.S. President Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace. For Canadians, an equally disgraceful thing happened in 1988; that’s when Edmonton Oilers owner Peter Pocklington sold Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. He did this without even informing his general manager, who then proceeded to punch Pocklington in the nose.
It should be noted here that when the NHL celebrated its centennial in 2017, the league asked fans to vote for the best team ever over those 100 years. The winner? The 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers. Yet that team, while still in its prime, was ultimately destined to be sold off for parts by its capricious owner.
My book The Puck Talks Here recounts Pocklington’s entire checkered history, including that travesty, and other highlights like getting kidnapped and subsequently shot by police, and seeing his home raided by the FBI. A condensed version of that book, titled I’d Trade Him Again: Gretzky and Pocklington, focuses solely on the seedy business of selling hockey’s best player. Both are available at terrymcconnell.com in the ebook format ($0.99), while the hockey-only book is also available as an audiobook ($4.99), which is really cool. We hired a voice actor from Ohio to narrate it, and you can hear an excerpt here.
SPEAKING OF BOOKS
 | The winner of our random draw of inaugural subscribers is Anne Thalen of Edmonton. Anne wins a copy of my book Law & Disorder: Confessions of a District Attorney. Yay, Anne! The book will soon be on its way. |
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FINALLY...
This is my cousin Pam, who died Friday morning after a 20-year battle with cancer. Pam treasured life and her family, was a woman of great distinction, accomplishment, indomitable spirit and, in the end, extraordinary resolve. Most of all, she was the embodiment of love. Please remember her in your prayers and moments of quiet contemplation.
